Government steps in for disabled candidates, deadline for online MBBS admissions extended to 7 December

In a last minute intervention, just hours before the online application
process for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2019-20 was
to close, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
(MoHFW) has stepped in to bat for disabled candidates who wish to
study medicine.

On Thursday evening, the National Testing Agency (NTA), that
conducts the NEET exams, issued a notification that disabled candidates can
fill in the online application form on the basis of the draft guidelines
given on the website of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

In the event any changes are made in this draft notification, the candidate
can correct the details of his/her application when the facility to do so is
made available between 14 to 31 January 2019.

The last date for submitting the online application has also been extended up
to 7 December 2018.

The move will bring immense relief to thousands of anxious parents and
students. From the very first day that the online application process
started, Doctors with Disabilities, a group that has been
campaigning against discriminatory practices in medicine, had drawn attention
to the fact that the MCI guidelines were not updated, and that disabled
candidates were unaware of the fact. This put them in a double bind. If they
applied under the disability quota and were later declared ineligible, they
would miss the chance to take the entrance test. Applying in the general
category put them at the risk of losing out on the entitlement given under
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.

The continuous insensitivity of MCI BoG and NTA is appalling given that the
issue was brought to their notice on the very first day. Thanks to MoHFW,
they have been forced to extend the deadline, although it has come late.
There needs to be accountability on the part of public servants whose
inaction causes suffering to anxious candidates and their parents. -
Dr Satendra Singh, Doctors with Disabilities

Calling it "an act of psychological violence on candidates with
disabilities", Dr Singh says the MCI BoG's stand in the matter has been in
total violation of the position taken by the Supreme Court and various state
high courts which have consistently upheld the rights of disabled candidates
to pursue medicine. Instead of taking note of these judgements and changing
the guidelines, the MCI made the weak move of seeking a public consultation
on the matter. And that too just days before the deadline for online
admissions was to end, making it an exercise in tokenism.

"The draft guidelines of the MCI are so violative of the RPWD Act and recent
court judgements!", says Rati Misra, Senior Advisor,
National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People
(NCPEDP). "t's almost archaic that technology, aids and assistive
devices have been completely ignored while deciding eligibility criteria for
people with hearing and visual disabilities. While we have doctors like
Dr Suresh Advani who make the country proud, our
decision-makers with little or no understanding or experience of disabilities
play God, playing with the ambitions and aspirations of young people with
disabilities".

However, as Misra points out, it is too early to celebrate. Given the MCI's
close-minded and unhelpful position in the matter so far, the fight is far
from over.

For now, aspirants like Sachin Malik are savouring the
moment. Malik has an invisible locomotor disability and was denied MBBS
admission in a Haryana government medical college despite making it to the
merit list under the 'physically handicapped' category. He had to fight two
battles, one in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and later
in the Supreme Court before the decks were cleared for his
admission. However, he lost a year as the disabled quota for 2018 had been
filled.

"I am very happy to hear this news", said Malik speaking to Newz
Hook. "I had fought this battle not just for myself but for
thousands of other disabled MBBS aspirants like me. Hopefully they can all
apply now".

Related Links

Hi, I'm Bhavna Sharma. An Inclusion Strategist with Newz Hook. Yes, I am a person with disability. But that doesn’t define who I am. I am a youth, a woman and also the 1st Miss Disability of India 2013. I wanted to achieve something in life and I have been working for the last 9 years. I have recently completed my MBA in Human Resources because I want to grow. I am like every other young person in India. I want a good education, a good job and I want to help my family financially. So you can see I am like everyone else, yet people see me differently.

Here is the Ask Bhavna column for you where I would like to talk to you about the law, society and people’s attitudes and how we can build inclusion in India together.

So, if you have a question about any issue related to disability, bring them out and I can try to answer them? It could be a question relating to a policy or of a personal nature. Well, this is your space to find the answers!